


Nicks and Burns

by OniZenmaru



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Angst, Game Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 22:16:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2245281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OniZenmaru/pseuds/OniZenmaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ludger just wanted to make his brother feel better, not make him cry…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nicks and Burns

**Author's Note:**

> I had to write this after finding the letter in Julius’ room

At the tender age of seven, Ludger knew not to cook anything when no one was around. However, this time was a special case. Lately he had noticed his brother acting..strange, but whenever he asked if anything was wrong, Julius would give him a blank look before going about his business. Even without saying anything, Ludger took notice of the changes; from the way his brother sometimes went straight to bed when he returned home, and even the fact that he had become thinner.

So Ludger took it upon himself to make dinner, something he had never done before, but figured it couldn't be all that hard. He slid one of the dining room chairs up to the kitchen counter and began to work on making pasta margherita, a dish he knew Julius liked. Immediately, he started running into issues; he nicked his fingers whenever cutting anything, and even burned himself when he accidentally touched the extremely hot pot of pasta.

But Ludger choked back the tears and soldiered on because this was for his brother.

At the moment he sits in the bathroom placing bandages on his wounded fingers, and despite the pain, he's proud of himself. All the nicks and burns are poof of his handwork, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Julius' face when he presented him with his favorite dish. Ludger was sure it would finally make him feel better. He smiles to himself at the thought. When he hears the front door open, Ludger quickly jumps up and runs to the kitchen.

Once there, he sees Julius sitting at the kitchen table, his face buried in his hands. Instead of greeting him, Ludger goes over and grabs a big bowl from one of the cabinets before spooning a good size portion of pasta into it. He practically bounces over to his brother, a big grin on his face as he slides the bowl close to him.

"Julius, look, look!" He says as he shake his brother a little, "I made dinner!"

He watches as Julius glances down at him, and then at the bowl.

"...You...made this...?"

"Uh-huh! Because..." Ludger pauses a bit, wondering if it's okay to bring up his brother's problems, "Because...you looked thinner. So, I made a lot of your favorite dish! I even put extra tomatoes in-"

He stops speaking when Julius takes his hand, and he watches as his brother stares at it while turning it from side to side. it isn't so much the action that bothers Ludger, but the look on his brother's face. Julius looks at his hand in a disturbed manner, and when tears begin to roll down his cheeks, Ludger wonders if he has done something wrong. 

Julius slides down to his knees in front of him, and Ludger can't help but make a small 'oof' noise when his older brother hugs him tightly. He doesn't recall ever being held this tightly by Julius, and he certainly doesn't recall ever seeing Julius cry. It makes him want to do the same, especially since he had only made dinner to help his brother up.

Ludger just wanted to make his brother feel better, not make him cry...

"Julius-?"

"I'm so sorry, Ludger." Julius' voice sounds absolutely miserable as he speaks, and Ludger can feel his brother's tears against shoulder "I'll be a better big brother...I'll protect you."


End file.
